A one-two punch of a cyberattack and a wave of illness has sidelined Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' main-stage run of "Guys and Dolls," prompting the venue to cancel its Tuesday evening and Wednesday matinee performances. The suburban institution had already paused shows May 15 through 17 after performers and some audience members reported getting sick. Theater leaders say performances are on hold until their systems are secure and the building is cleaned so artists and guests can return safely.
Cyberattack Hits As Cast Falls Ill Mid-Show
The trouble began late last week when a lead performer became sick mid-performance and an understudy finished the show, according to Star Tribune. By Friday, multiple cast members were calling in sick. Around the same time, theater officials detected a cyberattack on part of their computer network and took systems offline to contain the incident. The intrusion reportedly came with a ransom note. Management says the outages have affected point-of-sale and phone systems, complicating efforts to communicate with patrons while technicians work on a fix.
Health Investigation And Deep Cleaning
The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating, and local reporting says symptoms appear consistent with norovirus. The theater says it is following MDH recommendations for cleaning, including daily disinfection, KSTP reported. Tamara Kangas Erickson, the theater's president and CEO, told the Star Tribune, "We started fogging and disinfecting the building using standards to kill norovirus on Friday and have been re-cleansing daily." Officials say staff have been interviewed as part of the health review and that leaders are weighing both safety and system security before returning to normal service.
Tickets, Communications And Next Steps
Impacted ticketholders will be contacted directly about rescheduling or refunds, the theater said, according to Bring Me The News. The theater’s online calendar still lists "Guys and Dolls" running through September on its website, and crews are manually answering customer questions while technical teams work to restore systems, per the venue's schedule page. Patrons with tickets for the canceled performances should expect phone or email outreach and updates on the theater's official channels.
What It Means For The Twin Cities Stage
The Chanhassen complex is frequently cited as one of the largest professional dinner-theatre companies in the United States, and the combination of a dining operation and live performances makes point-of-sale and phone outages particularly disruptive, according to Wikipedia. Management says its "team, along with outside experts, is working around the clock to safely and thoughtfully bring everything back online," according to Bring Me The News. For now, the theater is keeping its calendar updated and asking patrons to watch official channels for the latest word on rescheduled shows.
